Sesame Pork Chops

Wow. Bless your bones, Mark Bittman. Found a recipe for Sesame-Glazed Grilled Chicken in Kitchen Express and switched it for pork... yum. And super-quick! I also threw a steamer bag of broccoli in the microwave for a quick side.

• Boneless pork chops (or boneless skinless chicken breasts), pounded to 1/2-1/4 inch thickness
•  3 T. hoisin sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 T. soy sauce
• 1 T. sesame oil
• cayenne pepper to taste, start with just a pinch
• sesame seeds, about 1 tsp. per pork chop
• scallions

Preheat the broiler to high (you could also grill this) and mix together hoisin, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, and cayenne into a thin paste. This was about the amount I made for two chops; feel free to increase. Taste and adjust amounts to personal preference. Brush the paste thickly on both sides of chops and place in broiler pan. Broil until cooked through, about six minutes, flipping once. Meanwhile, lightly toast sesame seeds in a dry pan. Sprinkle the pork with seeds and garnish with sliced scallions (optional). If you like, serve over rice.

 on my lap, no less, about to be devoured!

Ranch-Breaded Baked Pork Chops

2 boneless pork chops (you should be able to add another without having to adjust other measurements)
1/2 cup flour
1 egg
1 T. milk
1 T. mayonnaise
1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
1 (1-oz.) packet ranch dressing mix
1 T. butter/margarine
1 T. canola or vegetable oil

Preheat: 425°F. Place the flour in a shallow bowl or plate. Mix the egg, milk and mayonnaise in another shallow bowl until smooth. Mix the breadcrumbs and ranch packet in a third shallow bowl. 


Melt butter in a glass baking dish (in the microwave or place it in the oven for a minute) and add oil. Working with one chop at a time, dredge in flour and shake off excess. Dip in egg mixture, let excess drip back into bowl. Dredge in bread crumbs until well-coated, and place in baking dish. Repeat with second chop, and a third if desired. Place in oven for 15 minutes, flip chops, and return to oven for another 15-20 minutes.

 Served with roasted spiced carrots & brown rice lentil salad.

Original recipe

Brown Rice Lentil Salad

7 Servings
note: per 1/2 cup serving, this salad has about 110 calories, 3g fat, 4g fiber, 4g protein, and it's yummy! To make a vegan version, omit bouillon and substitute 1 cup vegetable stock for 1 cup of the water.

1/2 cup brown rice
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. chicken bouillon granules
2 cups water
3/4 cup dry lentils
1/3 cup thinly sliced green onion
1 med. tomato, seeded & diced, or a handful halved/quartered cherry/grape tomatoes
1 T. minced fresh parsley
2 T. red wine vinegar
1 T. olive or other oil (I used sunflower)
2 minced cloves garlic
2 tsp. lime juice
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper

Combine rice, bay leaf, bouillon granules and water in a medium saucepan. Bring up to a boil, then cover and reduce heat. Simmer 20 minutes, then stir in lentils and replace lid. Simmer 20 more minutes or until rice is tender; remove bay leaf. Let cool. You can make this go faster by stirring occasionally and splitting into two or more containers and placing in refrigerator, but don't take it right from the stove and stick it in the fridge. This pisses your refrigerator off.

Mix together vinegar, oil, garlic, lime juice, mustard, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Mix cooled lentils and rice with onion, tomato, and parsley, and pour dressing over. Toss to coat, cover, and refrigerate for at least one hour to allow flavors to blend.

Served with & pictured in Ranch-Breaded Baked Pork Chops


from Allrecipes.com

Roasted Spiced Carrots

Serves: 3-4

1 lb. (1 bag) baby carrots
1 T. olive oil, plus more for drizzling (I used sunflower oil instead)
1 1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper
2 T. lemon juice
1 T. honey

Preheat: 400F. Put carrots in a casserole dish big enough to spread them out in a single layer, or close to it. Drizzle 1 T. oil over the carrots and toss to coat. Mix seasonings (next 8 ingredients) in a small bowl and toss with carrots.

Roast until tender, 30-40 minutes, giving it a shake halfway through. Remove from oven and drizzle with lemon juice and honey, carefully tossing again to coat. If you like you may drizzle with more oil before serving.

served with & pictured in Ranch-Breaded Baked Pork Chops

source: Whole Foods

Chicken Curry with Raisins and Couscous

vegetable oil
boneless, skinless chicken breasts (generally one per person), cut into 1-inch chunks
couscous
red onion, sliced
2 T. curry powder
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup apple juice
big pinch of salt

Pour just enough vegetable oil to cover the bottom of a big, deep skillet with a lid, and heat over medium-high heat. Check out the couscous package to see how much cooking liquid you need for the amount of servings you're making. Go ahead and put the water (or apple juice, or a mixture of both) into a small pot. Add some oil or butter if you want (I used butter) and turn it on medium-low.

Once the oil is hot, add the chicken to the skillet and sear until browned on all sides. Remove chicken to a plate with a slotted spoon and turn the heat down to medium. Add the onion and more oil if necessary, cooking until onion begins to soften, a few minutes. While you're waiting, turn up the heat on the juice/butter mixture until it comes up to a boil. Stir in the couscous, put a lid on it and remove from the heat.

Return the chicken to the skillet along with curry powder, stirring to coat. Add the raisins and stir for a minute before adding the apple juice and a pinch of salt. Stir, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of skillet, then cover. Let cook a few more minutes to heat through and ensure chicken is fully cooked.

After couscous has sat at least five minutes, remove lid and fluff with fork. Mound onto a plate or in a bowl and top with chicken mixture, pouring extra liquid on top.

note to self: next time, less couscous...

Inspired by two different recipes from Mark Bittman's Kitchen Express

Broiled Bananas

Bananas, peeled and halved lengthwise
Butter/margarine
Brown sugar
Ice cream (optional)

Preheat the broiler and rub some butter on the bottom of a baking dish. Place bananas in dish, dot with butter and sprinkle liberally with brown sugar. Broil until lightly browned (keep an eye on them, they can get overdone pretty quickly). Sprinkle with a little more brown sugar, if desired.

You can sprinkle some lime or lemon juice over the bananas before serving, but I skipped that and instead I served them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The manfriend said they were "amazing."

From Mark Bittman's Kitchen Express

How to Make An Easy Dress For $6

I thought this was pretty cool. I love dresses but I'm a total cheapskate and she's right, $20 is too damn much for something you can make yourself. I can sew with patterns and all that but it's such a hassle I usually don't bother. This is quick if you have a sewing machine, doesn't involve a pattern, and should cost you around $6 to make.

Talk2TheTrees: How to Make An Easy Dress (For Cheap!)

Broccoli Chowder with Corn and Bacon

Serves: 4
 
This is pretty laid-back. Chop the bacon, get it cooking, then you can get all your other ingredients ready as the bacon cooks, stopping once in a while to give it a stir. This recipe just goes to show that it doesn't matter if your vegetables are fresh... everything tastes awesome when there's bacon grease involved.

4 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
5 cups chicken broth, or 2 (14.5 oz) cans
1 large potato, peeled and diced
1-1/2 cups fresh chopped broccoli, or 10 oz. pkg. frozen broccoli
1 can kernel corn, drained or 1 (10 oz) pkg. frozen corn
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 cup whole milk*
kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper

*if you don't keep whole milk, you can do what I did... I melted about 1/3 cup cream cheese with about 2/3 cup 2% milk over medium-low heat, whisking until smooth. If you don't have cream cheese you could use plain yogurt or sour cream instead. I use this method a lot in a cream-based soup or sauce.

Cook the bacon in a large pot over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until crispy, about 8-10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Increase the heat to medium and add the onion to the pot, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to soften in 6-8 minutes.

Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about 30 seconds. Add the broth and potato and bring it up to a boil, stirring and scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Turn heat down to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, or until potato is tender. Bring it up to a boil if vegetables are frozen, or leave on simmer if fresh or canned. Stir in broccoli, corn, and thyme, wait for it to come back up to a boil if frozen, drop back down to simmer and add milk. Simmer 10 minutes or until broccoli is heated through and tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve topped with bacon.

Source: Martha Stewart

Southwest Baked Chicken

Servings: 4

• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine first 8 ingredients in a small bowl. Rub over all sides of chicken and place in glass casserole dish. Roast chicken in oven until no longer pink, about 40 minutes. Transfer to serving platter.

Served with sweet & tangy carrots, country green beans, and pan-fried potatoes.
recipe for sides below.

adapted from food.com 

Sweet & Tangy Carrots, Country Green Beans, Pan-fried Potatoes

1 can green beans
2 slices bacon
1 cup baby carrots
brown sugar
vinegar (I used a combo of red wine and rice)
about 1 T. maple syrup (optional)
2 medium potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
butter
vegetable oil
fresh-ground sea salt
fresh-ground pepper

Put green beans in a small saucepan with a lid on medium-high heat. Roughly chop a couple strips of bacon and stir into green beans. Bring up to a boil, then put a lid on it and turn down to low. If you can, start this in advance... it doesn't take a very long time to cook, but it's one of those dishes that gets better the longer you can let it simmer.

This is the point I would put the chicken from the above recipe (Southwest Chicken) in the oven.

Place carrots in another small saucepan over medium heat. Add vinegar and water to taste, just enough to cover carrots. I also threw in a tablespoon of apple jelly just because I had it, but that's optional. You can be creative with the flavors in this. Add the maple syrup, and add brown sugar to taste. Play with the flavors until you like the balance of sweet and vinegary. You just need enough liquid to cover. Once the liquid starts bubbling, put a lid on it and turn it down to low as well. Once you're done with the potatoes, take the lid off and simmer a few more minutes.

Preheat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 T. of butter and a T. or so of vegetable oil. Once the butter has melted, add potatoes. Stir to coat, then fry, stirring occasionally and shaking the pan. Fry until the potatoes are crisp and browned on the outside, about 10-15 minutes, depending on how small you cut them. The insides should be tender.

Season all three sides to taste with salt and pepper. I didn't use pepper on the carrots, but I used a ton of it on everything else!

Chicken and Gravy

2 Servings

• 1 garlic clove, minced and mashed to a paste with 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. crumbled dried thyme
• 4 tsp. lemon juice
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 T. vegetable oil
• 1/2 T. unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 T. all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 tsp. dried parsley

• Accompaniment: cooked rice

In a shallow bowl stir together garlic paste, thyme, and 3 teaspoons lemon juice. Add chicken, turning to coat, and marinate, covered, 15 minutes. Pat chicken dry. 

In a 9-inch heavy skillet heat oil and butter over moderately high heat until foam subsides and sauté chicken until golden, about 2 minutes on each side. Transfer chicken with tongs to a plate. Add flour to skillet and cook roux over moderately low heat, whisking, 3 minutes. Whisk in broth and remaining teaspoon lemon juice in a stream, whisking until gravy is smooth. Return chicken to skillet with any juices accumulated on plate and simmer, covered, 15 minutes, or until springy to the touch and just cooked through.

Stir in parsley and serve over rice.

source

 mmmm... carbs.

Served this with Jamaican Carrots- quick, easy, sweet & spicy!

Jamaican Carrots

This was great, but it had a little too much cumin for my taste. Next time I'll cut it down to 1/2 tsp. 

Servings: 4

• 1 lb carrot, peeled and sliced
• 1 T. butter
• 2 T. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. hot sauce
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. orange juice (or pineapple juice)
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4-1/2 tsp. chili powder 
• salt, to taste

In a medium saucepan, add the carrots and cover with water; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until the carrots are fork-tender; drain and place in a bowl; set aside.
 

In the same saucepan, over medium heat, melt butter. Add the brown sugar, hot pepper sauce, lemon juice, orange juice (or pineapple juice), cumin, garlic, and chili powder. Cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the sugar bubbles and the spices are fragrant. 

 

Add the cooked, drained carrots; toss to coat the carrots with the sauce. Season to taste with salt; serve.  

 

 source

Creamy Spinach Pasta

Created this last night to use up some leftover frozen spinach.

1/4 cup olive oil
1-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup cooked spinach
4 oz. cream cheese
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup parmesan
cooked pasta (penne, ziti, rotini, etc.)
kosher salt
fresh-ground pepper

Heat olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly tanned and fragrant, a few minutes. Add spinach and stir, mixing it with the garlic and coating the spinach with oil. Cook until heated through, a few minutes, and add cream cheese. Kick the heat up to medium-high and combine with spinach until cheese is melted. Add milk, a little at a time, until it becomes a creamy, sauce-like consistency. Add parmesan, salt and pepper to taste and continue cooking until heated through. If it is too thick, add more milk. Combine with noodles and mix thoroughly.


I served this with some garlic bread, and since I wanted to serve the pasta as an entree I added chicken. You could use leftover chicken; just cut into bite-size pieces. I poured a little bit of lemon juice over a chicken breast, ground some pepper over it and stuck it in the oven as I was doing my prep work and it was done at just the right time. I cut it into bite-size pieces and added it into the spinach mixture just before adding the noodles. It was wonderfully juicy from the poaching, and the lemon juice gave it a nice citrusy kick to cut through the heaviness of the cheeses. For extra flavor, sear the chicken for a minute on each side in a hot skillet before putting it in the oven.

Pretzel-Crusted Chicken Breasts With Cheddar Mustard Sauce (Rachael Ray)

This is absolutely delicious <3 I omitted the pickle and lemon, and my thyme and parsley were dried instead of fresh, because that shit's expensive, and I'm not doing the whole greenhouse thing. Yet. Anyway, you can substitute 1 tsp. dried herbs to 1 T. fresh. Also, I added a dash of nutmeg to the cheese sauce.

Ingredients

• 4 quart-size plastic food storage bags
• 4 small, boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 5-ounce bag of salted pretzels, any shape
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 eggs
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups milk
• 3/4 pound, about 2 1/2 cups, sharp yellow cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2 heaping tablespoons spicy brown mustard
• 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley leaves, a generous handful, chopped
• 1/4 small yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 large sour dill pickle, finely chopped
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges

---

Preparation

 

Preheat a large non-stick skillet with a 1/4-inch of vegetable oil over medium-high heat.
Sprinkle a little water into four medium food storage baggies. Place 1 chicken breast in each bag and seal it up, pushing out excess air. Use the bottom of a heavy pot or pan and pound each breast until flat, just shy of busting out of the bag. Repeat with the other 3 chicken breasts.

Place the pretzels in a food processor or blender and grind until fine. Transfer the ground pretzels to a shallow dish, add the thyme and some salt and pepper. Crack and beat 2 eggs in a second shallow dish with a splash of water. One at a time, coat each chicken breast in the egg and then the ground pretzels.

Add the pretzel-coated chicken breast to the hot oil. Cook in a single layer, in 2 batches if necessary, about 3 or 4 minutes on each side, until the juices run clear and breading is evenly browned.
While the chicken is frying, in a medium saucepot over medium heat, melt the butter and add the flour to it. Cook flour and butter for 1 minute and then whisk in the milk. When the milk comes to a bubble, stir in the cheese and mustard with a wooden spoon. Season with a little salt and pepper, and remove cheese sauce from the heat.

Transfer the fried pretzel-crusted chicken breast to a serving plate, drizzle with the mustard cheddar sauce, then sprinkle with a little parsley, finely chopped onion and sour dill pickle. Serve lemon wedges alongside.

Yields: 4 servings

original source